We're here to give you the most help, and a chance to be helpful, too.

refining product choices to meet consumer wants

gaining new customers from your neighborhood

an interview with the owner of cloud mover spa

learning how to create value instead of lowering prices

bundling products or services to benefit customers

it is easier to keep your customers than trying to get new ones. so, stop losing customers! this 7-page guide will help you learn ...and most importantly how to win them back.

it's wonderful to have so many customers in your location that they may have to wait. do you and your staff do "the right things" to keep them happy while they wait? this 4-page action guide contains over 25 tried-and-true "right things" to keep your customers waiting contentedly.

"half the money i spend on advertising is wasted. i just don't know which half." do you know which of your advertising tactics are working to drive sales? this 6-page action guide will help you: *understand how different campaigns work * track and monitor which campaigns are working..and which are not. * decide how to improve your advertising results * know what response you are getting compared to industry averages

do you know how to go about creating, implementing and nurturing successful co-promotions? this 4-page action guide spells out the step-by-step details to creating cooperative promotions that work!

6 page action guide with step-by-step step suggestions to beat your newest competitor

so, how do you, the small retailer, make sure your customers continue shopping at your store during tough economic times? here are 12 ideas to consider:

advocates setting three short term goals to achieve success

the future of ad writing

quick pointers for making a great newspaper ad.

step by step info on creating a great retail ad.

“we’re scheduling more ‘try me nights’ where people can come in and work out for free. we schedule these on the slow nights of the week and let our ‘regulars’ know that they’ll be a few more people here on those nights. we give our regulars who are in on the ‘try me’ nights a free juice drink to make up for any inconvenience.”todd h, cedar city, ut fitness center

“last summer we decided to focus on children in art. we took all items that even remotely seemed like something a child would like to work with and put them on sale. we have had weekly contests for children to participate in...a different theme each week....awarding them a small gift certificate.all of this naturally brings in parents...and we endeavor to engage them in buying their own supplies!.” hannah y, elsmwood, ct teacher supply store

“some in our center used post it notes as flyers that they put on cars. we asked them about it and they said that they got better response than before with normal flyers. plus they had no complaints from the landlord about flyers all over the parking lot. they used the local printer and had 500 of the post it notes printed. one thing that they said was important is that they put the note on the driver’s side door not on the windshield.”alexis v, newport beach, ca, dress boutique

we've started to give away bookmarks with the name, address, web and phone number for the store, and we drop several in a bag so people can share with their friends. we're trying to think of other low-cost freebies too, including book club reading lists, for customers.tom t., bookseller, spokane wa.

i’m really focusing on referrals…i make a point to mail a postcard to former clients and ask for referrals, and send a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to every client who gives me a referral.patrick o. rapid city, sd- real estate